Eltropy summit to gather credit union leaders in Monterey

Eltropy will hold its annual Leadership Summit at the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa in Monterey, California.

The invitation-only event is expected to bring together more than 90 executives from credit unions and community banks.

Aimed at C-suite and senior leaders from community financial institutions, the summit will run from Tuesday through Wednesday morning and focus on the economy, artificial intelligence and growth.

Research groups Gallup, Callahan and Filene will contribute to the programme. Gallup will deliver Tuesday's keynote and later lead a joint strategy workshop with Filene Research. Callahan will present on economic signals affecting community financial institutions, and Filene will also lead a session on member connection.

Eltropy's contribution to the agenda will centre on agentic AI. The discussion will reflect a recurring view from its leadership that artificial intelligence depends on the judgement of the person directing it.

The summit will close with a keynote titled "Leading What's Next" from Ashish Garg, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Eltropy.

Commenting on the choice of venue, Garg linked the setting to the wider tone of the event.

"For most of this event's history we've held it in the mountains. This year we wanted our customers looking out at something that moves," said Ashish Garg, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Eltropy.

"Put that setting next to research from Gallup, Callahan and Filene, and the conversations tend to go further than they would in a hotel ballroom," Garg said.

The format combines formal sessions with smaller group activities. Arrivals will begin with a private dinner, and the programme also includes optional outdoor activities around Monterey Bay alongside evening social events.

The structure reflects a broader trend in business events, where suppliers use smaller executive gatherings to deepen ties with clients and frame discussion around strategic themes rather than product launches alone. In this case, Eltropy is targeting a niche but influential audience of decision-makers at smaller financial institutions weighing how to respond to economic pressure, changing member expectations and the spread of AI tools.

Community financial institutions have become an increasingly contested market for technology providers as credit unions and community banks look for ways to manage service, lending, collections and customer communications with leaner teams. Vendors, in turn, have sought to position themselves as partners in both operational change and leadership planning.

Eltropy describes itself as a communications platform for community financial institutions, combining AI with text, voice, video, chat and automation. Its software is used across lending, servicing, collections, marketing, contact centres and branch operations, and integrates with more than 50 banking systems.

One attendee from a previous summit said the format stood apart from more conventional industry conferences.

"Many conferences recycle the same ideas year after year. The Eltropy Leadership Summit is different - it challenges conventional thinking and brings fresh, practical innovation to the conversation," said Rob Hoyle, Chief People and Technology Officer, Vantage West Credit Union.

"I leave every summit with ideas I can immediately apply to improve both the employee and member experience. The opportunity to collaborate with forward-thinking credit union leaders and learn from organizations like Gallup and Filene delivers value that extends far beyond our time at the summit," Hoyle said.